Weather With You

"It won't happen overnight but it will happen"...... Ah yes, It's New Zealand's favorite daughter Rachel Hunter. Yup, I watched New Zealand's got talent....Today we took the short trip from Havelock to Nelson.
After not too long on the road we approached "civilization".
"Civilization" is very easy to recognize; there are little machines on the sides of streets at measured intervals. The deeper you get into "civilization" the more frequent they are..... Yes, I'm talking about parking meters... It was the first and only time that we've come across them on this trip so far.
Anyway back to Rachel Hunter.....As I mentioned in my last entry camping has been given its marching orders and we are dead set on sleeping anywhere but the Bat Mobile. We stayed in the Admiral motel just outside of the CBD, which meant a kitchen, indoor plumbing and a TV (it would've been rude not to use it).
The bed was comfy, the room clean and the kitchen in good working order. I even got to use an old Kiwi favorite, the electric frying pan. We hit the shops in downtown Nelson.......first stop Countdown where we encountered a problem that we are not used to having in Europe.... Errrrm the portions of meat were too BIG!!!!!  After umming and ahhhing a bit we settled on roast beef; some tatties, carrots and pumpkin made for a very yummy dinner. Dodo got her first taste of another Kiwi favorite too.... "The  Warehouse" (where everyone gets a bargain) We had a great laugh and came away with some sunscreen, and other goodies, that we needed for our trip. I loved Nelson, just a few streets with small shops, a helping of local eateries, and a cinema. I really liked the architecture too, it was old colonial style with a just a dash of Art Deco. Definitely a place I'd like to visit again.

The next morning we got up feeling decidedly more chipper and after sleeping in a real bed we were raring to go. Using some of the roast beef from the night before and a large helping of cheddar, piccalilli, and various other items from the salad bin, I made sandwiches for the day's journey which, promised to be a little more challenging than the ones that we had done so far. The destination on the cards for the day was Takaka. It wasn't the distance that was the problem, but the fact that we had to cross the Takaka hill worried me just more than a little. The long and windy stretch of highway has steep drops on either side that threaten to swallow you up if you don't keep your eyes firmly on the road in front of you.  Luck was with us and apart from some strongish  winds the weather was on our side (coming back over however, would be another story altogether). The sun was shining, our spirits were high and we headed towards Abel Tasman Road.
In Dodo's guide book she'd read about a little inn, owned by a Swiss couple. The biggest selling point was that it backed right on to the beach. We couldn't see it from our room, but it was literally a 2 minute walk. As it is not yet high season, apart from a few dog walkers and some kite surf enthusiasts checking their equipment we were all alone; time to kick back relax and enjoy the sunshine. All this time waiting, hoping, praying for good weather and I had completely forgotten how harsh the New Zealand sun is and half an hour later we had to take cover. We did some food shopping and returned to our room with the intention of going back out. Yes, I'm that naive, things being as they are the weather turned to custard and were once again forced to use our inside voices. The one thing I have to say that was really special was watching a family of Pukekos (http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/pukeko/1) collecting the worms that had been driven up to the surface by the afternoon rain right outside our windows. They really are beautiful birds and I really enjoyed their company on a rainy Monday afternoon.
Now, if we were to believe the weatherman the rain was supposed to stay away until Tuesday evening and Wednesday would really be a day to take cover....  You'd think I'd know better than to trust weather men.

Tuesday started slow and lazy and was followed up by a trip out to Farewell Spit.  The road out there was quite narrow but flanked by dark green streams leading to and from the ocean. The water was rough and where there weren't crashing waves, the wind blew large ripples that headed slowly, but in a breaking rhythm to towards the shore. The water was covered with an uncountable number of black swans, all with their heads tucked up tight between their majestic wings on their elegant bodies. I have never been partial to these temperamental birds and now, the sight of so many of them huddled together seemed downright ominous. We carried on to the end of the road where there was a cafe/lookout point. Up until now although, I have been shocked by the price of food, I feel that we have always spent our money well and gone away with full and happy tummies; today however, our stomachs and wallets were about to receive a rude awakening.....

The cafe looks quaint and inviting, run by a couple of kids (if I said they were clueless, and it wouldn't have hurt them if they jumped in the shower ,every now and then, I would be grossly misleading you.) I'd had a fabulous Seafood Chowder in Kaikoura and was eager for a repeat performance. Oh, I got one alright just not the way that I had hoped for, it was completely void of taste but somehow managed to upset my stomach so much that I felt it all afternoon.  The way Dodo's mussels were prepared was a complete travesty and I'm not even going to waste your time explaining what a waste of good shellfish and money they were. Please, please do not spend one red cent there, you'll only be disappointed.

As you may have already guessed shortly afterwards it started to rain... so we headed back to the inn to nurse our sore stomachs and smarting wallets.Sometime, many hours later driven by our tentative but grumbling tummies we headed back into "town". At  all the restaurant doors we turned up at, dripping wet and hungry we were told that they were no longer serving food at, the ripe old hour of, 8 pm. My Italian friends can feel my pain I just know it. As we were about to give up,  we saw the warm glow of lights in a cafe tucked behind some trees. At this stage I had given up all hope but surprise! They were open late! Hot food and cold pints; the light at the end of the tunnel.

The rain was really coming down by the time we left and when we awoke the next morning it was pelting the plexiglas window in the ceiling, so hard that I thought it was going to come through. We packed up our few belongs and headed back towards Christchurch, where the plane is waiting to take us to a big party on Saturday. We went back the same way as we came, as the Bat Mobile is not the most comfortable vehicle to drive in bad conditions and we decided it was better not to brave Arthurs Pass in that kind of rain. After finally making it to the other side of Tarkaka hill (not a moment to soon, as the petrol light was "screaming feed me, feed me, feed me") we took state highway 6 which runs right through the middle of the South Island until it veers off to the left towards Greymouth and the West Coast.
I have never seen so much native bush in my life. The tea trees, and ferns stretched from the roads edge up steep hill sides to the left and right of us for 100's of kilometers.  A fine mist was rising up from between the trees making this lonely place even more mysterious. Just when you thought that you couldn't look at it any more, the native bush gave way to rows and rows of trees that grew so tall that they blocked out all the light from above. All the while as we marveled at the scenery the rain pummeled down on us and the numerous animals we saw along the way. Some of them trying to take shelter under nearby trees and hedges, others resigned to their fate remained rooted in place and seemed not all bothered by the the cold afternoon "showers". We got to a point where fire had obviously ravaged through this quiet part of the country. Some trees lay in ruins, scattered around like uncared for toys, others stood tall and proud wearing their blackened bark like war wounds, determined to soldier on and fulfill their job of bringing beauty to this Southern paradise.
State highway 6 changed in to state highway 85 and then in to 7. Each with a different sense of beauty. As we hit state highway 7 and headed back towards Hanmer Springs the trees cleared and we could see the effect that the relentless precipitation was having on the river below; It was dark, swollen and angry. The rapid waters moved swiftly and threatened to carry with it anything that got in it's way. I guess I now understand the tiny Hobbits dislike of water.  This was Mother Nature, once again showing her power and that she was not to be messed with.  All of a sudden up ahead I could see a patch of blue sky, the dark clouds were turning a lighter, friendlier colour. The sun was trying to break free. I could almost feel the sublime effort she was making.

Driving along this windy road deep in the heart of New Zealand's largest island, I was reminded of a legend that I was told of at primary school; the Maori legend of  Rangi (the sky god) and Papa (mother earth) who were separated by Tane the god of wind many years ago. Rangi and Papa still feel this loss immensely and in times of great grief Rangi sheds tears upon Papa to show his love for her. The mist that you can see rising out of the bush is Papa sighing. The love of Rangi and Papa survives to this day and continues to nurture both us and earth on which we live.